Baby-sleigh.



PATENTED OCT. 2, 1906 0. JOHNSON. BABY SLEIGH;

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 19, 1906- V I A TTOR/VE v.5

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BABY-SLEIGH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 2, 1906.

Application filed January 19.1906. Serial No. 296,859-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES JOHNSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Laporte, in the county of Laporte and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Baby-Sleigh, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to sleighs, and more particularly to childrens box-sleighs.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive, and durable device of the character havin a plurality of tractionwheels pivotally mounted thereon and movable to operative position beneath the sleighrunners to facilitate the passage ofthe vehicle over portions of the road or sidewalk from which the snow has been removed.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for locking the wheels in operative position, and means for yieldably supporting the same in inoperative position.

A still further object is to generally improve this class of devices, so as to add to their utility and durability, as well as to reduce the cost of manufacture.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it being understood that various changes in form, proportions, and general assemblage .of parts may be resorted within the scope of the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a box-sleigh constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of a portion of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the operating-lever and supporting-clip, detached Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all of the figures of the drawings.

The improved mechanism may be used in connection with sleighs of various kinds, but is particularly designed for use in connection with childrens box-sleighs and, by way of illustration, is shown applied to such a sleigh, in which 5 designates the body portion, 6 the handle, and 7 the runners connected to the body portion by the ordinary hangers or depending braces 8 and 9.

Arranged beneath the body portion 5 at the front of the sleigh are traction-wheels or rollers 10, journaled on a suitable axle 11 and spaced apart by the parallel arms 12 of a pivoted truck-frame 13. The truck-frame 13 is pivotally mounted on a transverse shaft 14, secured to the braces or hangers 8, and the free ends of the arms of the frame are bent at an angle at 15 and provided with an opening 16 at the juncture of said arms, as shown.

Fastened, as by a bolt 16, to a rod 17, connecting the braces 9, is a bracket or clip 18, having spaced ears or lugs 19, to which are pivotally connected by a bolt 20 the bifurcated arms 21 of an angularly-disposed footoperated lever 22.

Pivoted at 23 to the lever 22 is the curved end 24 of a connecting-rod 25, the opposite end of which is bent to form a hook 26 for engagement with the opening 16 in the truckframe 13, so that when the free end of the lever is depressed the rod will exert a longitudinal pull on said frame, and thereby move I the wheels to operative position beneath the sleigh-runners and permit the easy passage of the vehicle over those portions of the sidewalk or road from which the snow has been removed.

Secured to the body portion 5 and likewise secured to the axle 11 are coiled springs 27, the function of which is to yieldably support the wheels in elevated or inoperative position and to prevent undue rattling of the same when not in use.

Attention is called to the fact that when thefoot-operated lever is depressed the pivotpoint 23 is below the pivot 20, thereby looking the rod 25 and preventing upward movement of the tractionwheels.

It will also be noted that when the wheels are elevated the connecting-rod acts as a stay to assist in holding the wheels in inoperative position, while the coil-springs have a tendency to exert an upward pull on said wheels and through the medium of the connectingrod 25 lock the foot-operated lever in inoperative position.

, In operation when it is desired to travel over a bare spot in the road or sidewalk the lever 22 is depressed by exerting a downward pressure with the foot on said lever, which depresses the traction-wheels, and thus elevates the sleigh-runners above the ground, and when the vehicle has traveled over that portion of sidewalk devoid of snow the runners may be again lowered by moving the free end of the lever in the opposite direction, as before stated.

- of lever to thereby lockthe wheels in opera- It will of course be understood that the traction-wheels may be provided with rubber tires, and that, if desired, the device may be operated by hand.

Having thus described the invention, What is claimed is 1. A sleigh having a plurality of tractionwheels pivotally mounted thereon and movable to operative position beneath the runners, an operating-lever pivoted to the sleigh, and a rod connecting the free end of the lever and the traction-Wheels, one end of said rod being movable to a position below the pivot tive position.

2. A sleigh having a truck-frame pivotally mounted thereon, traction-wheels carried by one end of the frame and movable to operative position beneath the runners, an operating-lever pivoted to the sleigh, a rod pivoted to the lever and engaging an opening in the opposite end of the truck-frame, and a spring interposed between the axle of the Wheels and the sleigh for yieldably supporting said wheels in inoperative position, one end of said connecting-rod being movable to a position below the pivot of the operating-lever to thereby lock the Wheels in operative position. i

3. A sleigh having a truck-frame pivotally mounted thereon and consisting of a pair of spaced arms converging to a common point 4. The combination with a sleigh-body, of i the depending braces having the runners secured thereto, rods extending transversely of the sleigh and secured to said braces, a truckframe pivotally mounted on one of said rods and carrying a traction-wheel, a clip secured to the adjacent rod, an operating-lever having one end thereof bifurcated and pivoted to said clip, a rod connecting the free end of the lever and the truck-frame for moving the wheel to operative position beneath the runners, and a spring secured to the sleigh-body for normally supporting said Wheel in elevated position.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHAS. JOHNSON. Witnesses:

IRA H. LEWIS, R. N. SMITH 

